by Writing Workshops Staff
A week ago
Amie Whittemore exists in the liminal spaces—a poet who yearns for the expansive possibilities of science fiction, a teacher who challenges convention, a creator who finds inspiration in the mystical and mundane alike.
Her upcoming course, Science Fiction for Poets, promises to be a sanctuary for those who, like her, have long sought to reconcile their poetic sensibilities with their love of speculative worlds.
Recently, Whittemore spoke to us about the delicate art of crafting stories where language and ideas, rather than conventional plot mechanics, provide forward momentum—the very stories she has spent years searching for as both reader and writer.
"These are the kinds of stories I wish to write," she admits, with the quiet fervor of someone who has found her artistic home at the intersection of metaphor and starlight.
For those who have ever struggled to translate their poetic instincts into prose, or who have longed to infuse their science fiction with more lyrical depth, Whittemore's four-week generative intensive might just be the portal to new creative galaxies they've been waiting for.
Please introduce yourself to our audience.
Like many writers, I was drawn to the written word at a young age, devouring books like Anne of Green Gables and A Wrinkle In Time as a kid and writing angsty poems as a teenager. It wasn't until my late 20s, when I finally gave myself permission to go for my MFA, that I began to claim the title of poet, and to center my writing as a major priority.
After finishing my MFA at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, I have worn a variety of hats to pay the bills, but have always had writing and writing instruction be a core part of my work. Over the years, while my "home" genre is still poetry, my affinity for prose, particularly science fiction and creative nonfiction, has grown, and I'm always excited by opportunities to blend genre conventions. My second book, STAR-TENT: A TRIPTYCH, grew out of my love of science fiction. It is a speculative collection, featuring alien encounters, black holes, and the Voyager Golden Record.
In addition to exploring sci fi tropes, my writing preoccupations include queerness, nature, queer nature, dreams, tarot, trees, polyamory, and walking the tight-rope between narrative and lyrical modes. When not obsessing over writing or reading a delicious book, I'm teaching or doing yoga, or walking my cat Minnow, who is convinced she's a dog.
What made you want to teach this specific class? Is it something you are focusing on in your own writing practice? Have you noticed a need to focus on this element of craft?
I love fiction, particularly science fiction, and find it the most challenging genre to write in as plot always slows me down. I have such a hard time figuring out what should happen and why; it takes me years to finish a short story. The fiction I've selected for this class are stories that resonate deeply with my poetic sensibilities, with their attention to language, mood, and deep imagination; these are stories whose forward momentum is built on something beyond "what happens next." These are the kinds of stories I wish to write; so this is very much the class I have longed to take but have never quite found.
Give us a breakdown of how the course is going to go. What can the students expect? What is your favorite part about this class you've dreamed up?
For the first three weeks, we will examine three science fiction texts with poetic sensibilities; each week's reading will be accompanied by a generative prompt inspired by the text. In the fourth week, students will share an excerpt of a work-in-progress, inspired by our readings.
It's hard to pick a favorite part of the class, but it might be the chance to talk about "When I was Miss Dow" by Sonya Dorman (who was also a poet!), a short story I've taught to undergrads for many years, who don't always share my love of weird stories with little plot. I adore this relatively obscure and strange story and can't wait to discuss it with poetic sci-fi nerds like myself!
What was your first literary crush?
Such a tough question! My first literary crush was probably Anne of Green Gables in that she, as a fellow imaginative red head who spent a lot of time outside, felt like (to use Anne's words) a kindred spirit. It was affirming to me as a ten-year-old, to see someone who felt like me be the star of the story.
Later on, in high school, I'd say the first writer I had a crush on was J.D. Salinger. CATCHER IN THE RYE was the first school-assigned novel I read that I didn't just tolerate or loosely like, but loved. I remember finishing it and thinking, wait, novels can be like this?
What are you currently reading?
I just began TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND TOMORROW by Gabrielle Zevin and can already tell I'm going to love it. I'm also embracing my witchy side and reading Starhawk's THE SPIRAL DANCE, which is a great introduction to pagan/witch traditions.
How do you choose what you're working on? When do you know it is the next thing you want to write all the way to THE END?
I'm like a crow when it comes to my writing practice: if it's shiny, that's what I work on. Sometimes that means revising poems as I have a very long backlog of poems that need revising. Sometimes that means working on a creative nonfiction piece. When the spark is really hot, it means starting something new. It's hard for me to know when I want to write something "all the way to the end" as I often have to balance writing with other obligations, so it's more like "What feels accessible and exciting right now, in this 20 minute window?"
Where do you find inspiration?
I get a lot of inspiration from reading voraciously; I love when I see a move or form a writer is using and figuring out how I can try it out myself. I also find long walks and long drives through rural areas to be good for the mind; the open space lets my mind drift and unravel writing knots.
What is the best piece of writing wisdom you've received that you can pass along to our readers? How did it impact your work? Why has this advice stuck with you?
The most sustaining piece of writing wisdom I received was from my mentor, Brigit Pegeen Kelly, shortly after I finished undergrad. I was worried if I would still write poems outside the support system of academia and she said to me, and I'm paraphrasing here, that if writing was my way of making sense of the world, I would keep writing. If it wasn't, then I'd stop.
I love how simple and clear this advice is. So often, as writers, we feel a pressure to produce, to be strict in our routines. But all of that doesn't matter if writing isn't serving us as a meaning-making practice. So, in those times of defeat or burnout, I return to this question: does writing help me make meaning of the world? And so far the answer has been yes. And so I keep writing.
What is your favorite book to recommend on the craft of writing? Why this book?
There are so many great books out there, it's hard to pick just one, so I will pick the one dearest to my heart. My former professor Beth Lordan recently published her craft book, Forms of Fiction, and I adore this book, which grew out of her many years of teaching forms of fiction. When I took her forms class in grad school, it opened up formal choices for me, on the word/punctuation/sentence level, in a way that changed my writing forever. Regardless of the genre you write in, I would recommend this book.
Bonus question: What's your teaching vibe?
I am in a "witch and famous" marketing class right now with the fabulous Captolia, and we are studying brand archetypes. Through her stellar archetype quiz, I've discovered my vibe is definitely The Creator and The Innocent, with a hint of the Magician. What that means is, I'm here to help you channel your creative energy, to embrace your playfulness, and to realize your magical potential.
Avoid the waitlist and sign up for Amie's upcoming 4-week intensive, Science Fiction for Poets.
Instructor Amie Whittemore (she/her) is the author of three poetry collections, most recently Nest of Matches (Autumn House Press), and the chapbook Hesitation Waltz (Midwest Writing Center). She was the 2020-2021 Poet Laureate of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow. Her poems have won multiple awards, including a Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Prize, and her writing has appeared in Blackbird, Colorado Review, Terrain.org, Pleiades, and elsewhere. She teaches creative writing at Eastern Illinois University.
